Expert Advice And Tips On Interviewing

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A Message From
Mitch Lederman

The Internet is a very useful medium for providing and gathering information; however, it does not take the place of one-on-one discussions and direct relationships between individuals in the business world.

For that reason, I personally invite you to call me directly regarding any staffing, job search or employment-related questions you might have or to discuss our products & services and to get to know me firsthand.

Mitch

Phone: 877-594-4261
Fax: 954-345-9782
E-mail:
Mitch@LedermanInc.com

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	Twenty-Five (25) Surefire Ways To Not Get The Job You Interview For
	The following is a compendium of actions and behaviors I have witnessed through the years that are guaranteed to assure that you do not get a job that you interview for.
1.	Skip out on an interview without calling to notify them you will not be showing up. Then call them up the next day asking to reschedule.
2.	Arrive late for an interview and then tell the interviewer a story that only could be true in a fairy tale.
3.	Appear at an interview in inappropriate attire. The outfit your significant other loves to see you in will likely get the interviewer’s attention, though it might be the wrong attention.
4.	Upon greeting a prospective employer, reach out and give them your best limp fish handshake. Bonus Tip: Make sure your hands are wet and clammy.
5.	Rush to fill out the employment application as if you are running in the Kentucky Derby. Give yourself extra points for smudges and coffee stains. Bonus Tip: Bring in a cup of coffee from the outside for full credit on this activity.
6.	Present a resume with as many holes as a piece of Swiss cheese. Don’t forget to include typos, poor grammar and other mistakes. Bonus Tip: Use your word processing program’s spell-check and don’t reread your resume or cover letter to make sure the proper form of a word has been used.
7.	Make sure that you appear disinterested in everything the interviewer has to say. Bonus Tip: Yawn excessively for extra points.
8.	Leave your tact and courtesy at the front door. Pick at your fingers (or worse somewhere else) and take the time to clean your fingernails during the interview.
9.	Do not forget to mention that you have no career goals or aspirations. Employers are dying to hire people with no drive or motivation.
10.	Do not look the interviewer in the eye. Make sure they know you are very uncomfortable and uneasy talking to other people, perhaps even anti-social.
11.	Do not ask any questions about the position or the company. Why care about where you might be working and what your responsibilities will be.
12.	Respond to a question with a shrug of your shoulders. Indifference is a very positive selling point.
13.	Mumble your answers, talk in a whisper or generally make the interviewer have to guess as to what you are saying. Most interviewers love having to read prospective employees minds.
14.	Emphasize money, money and more money. If there is one time you don’t want to mumble, it is when you are making your financial demands.
15.	Emphasize the bad things about your current employer and coworkers.
16.	Ask dumb questions – especially questions about “what’s in it for me”
17.	Lie about some of your work history. Especially if you are over 18 years of age.
18.	Be true to yourself and wear all of your prejudices on your forehead.
19.	Let the prospective employer know that you are an “I” person. There is no “team” in “I”.
20.	Make sure the prospective employer knows that “you know everything”. After all, they wouldn’t want to hire anyone who knew less than everything. Bonus Tip: Let the interviewer know you think that you should be their boss.
21.	Tell the interviewer that you just began the interview process and want to interview with at least ten companies before you make a decision. They will be glad to wait for you to finish your shopping trip.
22.	Be forthright with your career and salary growth demands; let the interviewer know the schedule you want to be promoted on and when you want to retire.
23.	Let the company know you are looking at their company as a stopgap measure and will leave as soon as something better comes along. Every employer loves to know they are being used.
24.	Leave the interview without thanking the interviewer for their time. Everyone wants to feel unappreciated.
	And, last but not least, my all-time favorite, which needs no further explanation:
25.	When asked why you are looking to leave your current employer – calmly state that you are no longer challenged at the position you are in and so you sit around all day playing video games and surfing the internet on your company PC.

In the spirit of giving equal time to the positive characteristics one should display during an interview, below are some examples of beneficial and appropriate behaviors to exhibit during an interview.

	Twenty-Five (25) Surefire Ways To Get The Job You Interview For
	The following guide to interviewing will help increase your chances of getting the opportunity you are interviewing for. Though no method or technique of interviewing is foolproof, these tips are time-tested and very effective.
1.	If you have to cancel or reschedule an interview, call the company as far in advance as possible. Bonus Tip: Make sure that you talk to someone at the company who will get the message to the affected individuals. Do not rely solely on voice-mail.
2.	If you arrive late for an interview, be apologetic and let the interviewer know that you realize your lateness is inappropriate and might be inconvenient to their schedules. Bonus Tip: Offer to reschedule the meeting if you are more than ten minutes late.
3.	Always make sure you dress appropriately for an interview. Unless you are specifically and directly told to appear casual, your attire should be business and professional looking. Bonus Tip: It is always easier to “move down” from a professional image than it is to “move up” from an unprofessional image.
4.	Upon greeting a prospective employer, reach out and give them a firm handshake. Bonus Tip: Make sure your hands are clean and dry.
5.	Do not rush to fill out an employment application – you are not being judged on how fast you can fill out a form. Bonus Tip: If you cannot fill the application out completely before the interview begins, ask if you can complete the application at the end of the interview or bring it home and fax/mail it back.
6.	Make sure that you present a clean, mistake-free copy of your resume. Bonus Tip: Have a friend or family member read your resume before you hand it out to prospective employers.
7.	Make sure that you appear interested in everything the interviewer has to say. Bonus Tip: Ask follow-up questions that show you are thinking on your feet about what the interviewer is saying.
8.	Remember your manners and courtesy.
9.	Discuss your career goals and aspirations in general, not specific terms, to display your motivations and enthusiasm
10.	Maintain good eye contact with the interviewer. Make sure they know you are comfortable talking to other people.
11.	Ask questions about the position or the company, especially as they pertain to things the interviewer might already have said. Bonus Tip: Great question to ask: “What do you enjoy most about working at the company?”
12.	Respond to all questions with clear and concise answers. Bonus Tip: Do not make up answers to questions – if you don’t know – just say I don’t know.
13.	Speak clearly in a firm tone of voice.
14.	Do not talk money unless you are absolutely forced to. Bonus Tip: Best answer to a money question is “Although salary is important to me, the challenge and the company are more important. I would not let salary stand in the way of a good position. Given an opportunity such as yours, I know I can prove myself and salary will then take care of itself”.
15.	Do not say anything negative about your current employer and coworkers.
16.	Do not ask questions that solely focus on yourself and your career.
17.	Do not lie about your work history. If a company wants to discriminate against you because you are too old or too young – do you really want to work for them anyway?
18.	Do not get involved in any ideological, political or religious discussions. Bonus Tip: Best answer to such questions: “I believe that everyone is entitled to their views as long as they do not try to force or impose them on others and as long as they remain within the legal framework of our society.”
19.	Let the prospective employer know that you are a team player. There is no “I” in “team”.
20.	Answer questions to the best of your ability but do not come across as a know-it-all. Short and on-target answers are much better than long-winded and detailed answers.
21.	If you are asked where you are in your job search, tell the interviewer that you are looking at several opportunities and that when the right opportunity comes along, you are ready to move on it.
22.	Do not go into an interview with the notion that you must advance in position and salary on a predetermined basis.
23.	Do not look at any opportunity as just being stopgap. Keep you eyes open during the interview process and you might see opportunities you wouldn’t have seen if you were wearing fog-coated glasses.
24.	Individually thank and shake hands with everyone you met with during an interview. Bonus Tip: Thank you notes are still appreciated and this courtesy will always get you points.
25.	When asked why you are looking to leave your current employer – calmly state that you feel it is time for you to move on to other challenges in your career.

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